Toons In Revolt: A Cartoon Analysis on Poverty, Crime, and Revolution
by Nicoville20
Summary: A Prussian writer, an Austrian driver, and an English philosopher travels to the poverty-stricken kingdom of Toontopia, after years famine, economic downturn, corruption in the government and justice systems, as well as the aristocracy looking down on the peasants, revolution erupts and our friends are caught in the middle. This is taken from my Wattpad story
1. Preface

Hello dear reader,

If you are reading this story right now, you must be interested in what is in store. You are three of the following. A fan of cartoons and anime, a historian and sociologist, or a fellow writer. I like to take characters from these different animated shows, and put them all in the past. It doesn't matter what part of the past they are in, but I will do the best I can to make sure that I'll do my best to represent each time period as accurately as possible. I have been inspired by a piece of fanfiction I read myself on , and just recently, I found it here on Wattpad. This writer took the three classical novels of Les Miserables, Hunchback of Notre Dame (both written by Victor Hugo), and Oliver Twist (written by Charles Dickens) and combined those three with the Japanese anime Fairy Tail. The fanfiction is called "Heaven's Revolt Against Hell" written by @Fantasyandromance516 and I will have a link to it in my cast/notes section and here: https/my.w.tt/bMbYEmvzNX, not only this but Hugo's "Les Miserables", Coelho's "The Alchemist", and a little bit of Voltaire's "Candide" also influenced me. Speaking of which, There are some historical references that can be found within the story up to the year 1840. Being a fan of history and society, it was in my best interest to represent the Post-Napoleonic/Early Industrial Era to the best of my ability, they will also be explained in the cast/notes section. I also have posted the cast of characters and the actors/actresses who play who. Noted, almost everyone knows the English voice actors and actresses of the animated characters, but for the made up characters, I put the actors who would portray them, so if I were to make this a film, I know who I want to play as those characters. As a disclaimer, I do not own any of the cartoons nor anime used in this story. They are the property of their rightful owners, whomever they are. The following events are purely fictional and have no ties to any persons, kingdoms, historical accounts, etc. any relation to other real life peoples and events are obviously coincidental. Some of the relationships and happenings are based off of canon from the shows, but otherwise, it's all made up, ships that appear and events happening to the characters that do not line up with canon are made up, for the sake of entertainment. Also, when writing this, I figured that most of the characters of the other shows were to be taken down a couple of ages, to fit with the whole lore of the story. Most characters will be depicted younger than how they usually appear. This fic is rated PG-13. One more point of reference, King Thomas refers to Mr. Warburton, creator of Codename: Kids Next Door, and Duke/King Richard is Robin of Teen Titans Go. I made this decision because Richard is sometimes shortened to Dick and Dick Grayson is the actual name of Robin. Also, Teen Titans Go is a terrible show and takes up half the air time of Cartoon Network, I wanted to represent horrible people as tyrants to showcase how terrible they can be. One more thing, this will be a work in progress and I shall upload chapters when I get the time, so sorry in advance if I go on a long hiatus. With that being said, please enjoy the fanfiction. Like, comment,and share this piece of cartoon revolutionary spirit.

Best Regards,

Nicoville20


	2. Chapter 1:Henri and William

**_prolouge:_****_1805_**

_In the beginning, there was a kingdom, in the heart of Western Europe, lying between France and the German Confederation. The Kingdom of Toontopia was one of the most peaceful kingdoms in the world. In this kingdom, The feudal system is still standard for the subjects of the realm. There were the peasants, the lowest class, they were farmers, merchants, performers, serfs, etc. The military was higher up, which was itself divided up. From soldiers, militia, to high ranking officers and knights. The peasants can move up to solider, but it was rare for regular soldiers to move up to officers or knights. The noble gentry were higher up. They were they aristocracy who owned the land, the industries, the ones that had all the money. Above them were the clergy and other government officials. The ones that took care of the Toontopian chapter of the Catholic Church. The ones that held power in the government and justice system. Lawyers, clerks, advisors, judges, basically anyone in charge of any government institutions. Above them all, was the gracious King. The ruler of all of Toontopia. And by George was he a great king. King Thomas the Enlightened was loved by all of his subjects. He was strong in military leadership, but soft on domestic policies. He was a philanthropist, ahead of his time. He helped the poor out with many social policies and was merciful to them when it came to simple misdemeanors. He was the greatest ruler among the many crown heads of Europe._

_One day, it all changed. Following the French Revolution in 1789, and Napoleon's rise to power, Toontopia was invaded by the French in 1805, and even through the gallant efforts of the brave soldiers and knights, they have been overrun and King Thomas was killed in the action. Leaving the throne literally open to anyone, but Napoleon had different plans. He installed a puppet government with his cousin, Richard Grayson as duke of Toontopia. The entire kingdom was experiencing issues, with the two-thirds of the food supply had to go to the Toontopian Army, leaving the rest of the food supply to the passing French Army, and with result of a bad harvest, famine was inevitable. Social unrest was also present as citizens demanded the French to leave. To show that the French refuses to leave, Napoleon sent a small army to take care of the situation. Needless to say, it worked. With the fall of Napoleon in 1815, Duke Richard declares himself the new king, no objections. He appoints his friends as his advisors, and what lousy advisors they were. They taxed the poor hard, bring them into extreme poverty. It didn't help with the fact that the famine was still going on whilst the rich had control of the food supplies (which were kept secret from the public). To add insult to injury, a mysterious plague in the 1830s had wiped out half of the adult population of, leaving many children orphaned. With the orphanages too full to take in any other children, the children took to the streets, slums, and work houses, surviving it's harsh conditions. These leaders did not care if the children suffer. They only cared for what's going into the royal coffers. The rich were living an affluential lifestyle while the poor were just sinking further into the depths of poverty. It was, how Voltaire might put it, the worst of all possible worlds, in a time where it was the best of all possible worlds. It was here, the year 1840, where the sparks of revolution would begin to light. From starvation, hopelessness, dispair, anger, discontent shown, paving way to a new world._

* * *

A carriage was trudging along the road. It was a nice fall day, November 30th to be precise, in the glorious year of 1840, Queen Victoria has been ruling Great Britain for at least three years now. A man by the name of "Johnny Appleseed" in the United States was making public headlines, and Fredrick William IV ascends the Prussian throne. Prussia, one of the great Germanic kingdoms. It has longed to unite the different Germanic states into one united German Empire, but that seems a long way off, thoughts that were true with these two gentlemen. Gentlemen not from a noble family, but we're among the richer portion of the common class.

Henri Alfred Schreiber is a writer, born into a family of farmers. He left the farm to peruse his passion of pen and paper to the city of Berlin. He written stories for young children to read, based off stories his father told him on the farm. His stories were sold at a good price, the children loved them and went off the shelves so fast, more copies were made. He became a rich man by the end of 1825 at age 37, he kept on writing more of those stories, creating a second volume of those fairy tales. He wants to continue writing not just for children, but for adults to. However, he just can't think of anything to write about. So with his money, he got on a carriage and started heading westward to France. He would find himself sharing the carriage with another gentleman.

William Charles Roberts is an English fisherman, from the beaches of Brighton. He was a young, well-off man, making money through fishing and also giving lectures on some aspects of life. He is also a philosopher, a firm believer on why the world is what it is. He took what ever money he had and took a vacation in Prussia, he would go to France to do about the same, and then go home to his England. Both of them were in the carriage, with their coats on to keep out the chill. Henri was Prussian, William was English, there was no way anyone one of them could understand them. It was a moment of awkward silence before Henri decides to break the ice.

"So, have you traveled around before?" Asked Henri.

"Hold on, you speak English?" William asked.

"Had to learn it at university, part of mein humanities major. Uh, University of Berlin"

"Ah, very interesting"

"Ya, it vas a time. Oh, vere our mine manners, mein name is Henri, Henri Albert Scheriber, famous writer of children's book. Might I ask, vhat's yours?"

"Oh, oh yes, my name William, William Charles Roberts, but my friends and colleagues call me Bill".

"Pleasure to meet you Herr Roberts".

"Oh the pleasure is mine. Do tell, what is your book about?".

"Vell, it's... it's... Vell it's... you know the Brothers Grimm?"

"Oh yes, very popular with the children back home".

"Vell it's kinda like that. I wrote I could remember mein vader used to tell me these stories back home".

"Oh, so they're folk tales?"

"Ya, if you put it zhat vay"

The carriage stops abruptly. The two men almost fall out of their seats. They get off of the carriage to find that the driver was cursing up a storm, seeing the road from the German Confederation to France was about as open as Napoleon's brain about second thoughts on invading Russia. Ever since the Napoleonic wars were over, the roads leading to France were in ruins. Covered in mud, bumpy from the wagons, soldiers and horses, not to mention the many artillery shells holes scattered all around. The wars were still prevalent in everyone's minds, as well as France's revolutionary spirit, in 1832, only eight years ago, The Paris uprising happened. It was extinguished faster than the City of London in 1666. With no other option left, they would have to go through Toontopia. Those guys have relaxed national policies on foreigners, but they have strict border controls. Ever since King Richard came to power, the borders have been restricted from open trade, and as a result, most maps of Europe erased Toontopia from it's maps.

"Well, there is nothing we can do" the driver said. "We will have to do through the kingdom of Toontopia to get through France".

"Toon... topia?" William asked

"I've never heard of this country" Henri responds.

"It's a small kingdom, and the route through here is barely used since the King kind of restricted trade through the border. Before the war, I went through here plenty of times". The driver was about 56 years of age. He drove carriages around Austria when he was just 15 years old. He traveled through many countries his entire life time, even Toontopia. The war happened however and after the war he went back to international travel, though he did lose his eye in the war, but it was barely an inconvenience for him. This would be his first travel through here in years. He had expected the roads to be cleared but that didn't seem to be the case, so he would go through Toontopia once more.

"I've been through this kingdom many times before the war, it's practically a breeze".

"What about those French vars, surly something has changed"

"Oh I'm sure it's fine"

The two men hop back on the carriage as it begins to stroll along. They reach the Toontopian border when they are stopped by two guards. One was round, chubby, and what others today would call heavily obese. His friend was a ginger, or at least that's what the other guard would think of him. The round guard hated him, he thinks he has all the money and is not giving it to him. Do you know what the best part is? They are both children. Since the war and a plague took away half of the nation's adults, the children went to work, either by free will or forced upon by the remaining adults.

"Halt" the round guardsman says as the carriage stops at the edge of the border. The driver gets off of his seat.

"Hello" the Driver says. "We are just simply passing through, you know, since the other roads leading to France are closed off".

"Yeah yeah yeah, that's what they all say, can I see those travel papers please".

"Of course" The Driver says as he pulls out a scroll of paper that contains his information. The guard inspects it.

"The Austrian Empire? Oh that piece of cr-"

"Cartman" the red headed guardsman says angrily "you really shouldn't be saying stuff like that to him, it's not really nice"

"Shut up Kyle, ya frickin' ginger" the large guardsman named Cartman shouted. "I swear your kind makes me sick. I can't believe his majesty is actually making me work with you. You should just go to Hell" Cartman goes through the papers again.

"Ok, everything seems to check out, no crime, no treason, ok, it seems to check out". Cartman goes to the two men in the carriage. The men witnessed what was going on, and found themselves pretty shocked.

"Good heavens, those guards are just boys, merely children. Why in God's name would they let children just run around with guns and uniforms?" William asked

"Oh, zat usually is the case vith modern armies, back home, there are regiments with children in them, it's fine don't vorry" Henri says in response. "The only thing I'm concerned is that little guardsman's attitude". Cartman gets to their carriage. He bangs on the door hard with the back of his gun

"Hey, get out of the carriage and show me your papers!"

"Yeah right, and why would I listen to a child, why don't you go home to your mother and father?", before he could finish his last word, Cartman hits the back of his gun on the glass, breaking it, with glass flying onto William's face. He shouts in agony, blood appearing in his face.

"I am an officer for the army, I could have you arrested for contempt and placed in prison, now get out of the vehicle, show those damn papers, and respect my authoritah!". Henri and William get out of the carriage and immediately showed him their papers.

"Wow, a Prussian and an Englishman. HA! You must be some idiots then". They would say something, but they didn't want to be arrested.

"Well, everything is ok, ginger what's in the truck."

"Just the passenger's luggage"

"Okay, passage granted, enjoy those cheese-eating surrender monkeys, pieces of-"

"Shut up fat-ass" Kyle spurts.

"Hey, shut your pie hole ginger"

The two guards continue to argue as the carriage makes it way through the checkpoint. The carriage makes a quick stop on the side of the road to try to patch up William's wounds. Luckily, the driver had a pair of bandages on him handy.

"This will keep you in good condition, until we get into a big city and get this checked by a doctor".

"Are the border guards always this insane?" William asked

"Actually there were no border guards at all, this country embraced open borders. Things must have changed"

"Really" exclaimed Henri sarcastically. "No way, I would have never guessed!"

"I know, insane right" the driver says as Henri sighed.

"Ok, he's patched up, let's get back on the carriage. We'll go into a village for tonight, rent an room at an inn, and hopefully get some rest until we can head out again".

"Guut, Danke dir"

"ihr willkommen"

They men get back onto the carriage and soon enough, the carriage gets moving.

"By the way, we didn't get your name good sir" Henri said.

"The name is Lukas, Lukas Kaufmann".

_-End of Chapter 1-_


	3. Chapter 2:Moe's Inn

The carriage was speeding along the road at a rabbits pace. It was sunset, and soon the trio would have to find a place to sleep for the night. The race onto a small village near river. They approach the village square looking for a inn or something. The village seem to look like another European village anywhere else. It had townhouses scattered all around town, it had small shops where business is conducted. Farms spreading out for miles. These farms were made recently to "combat" the famine, but the crops grown here are taken to the aristocracy immediately after they are harvested, sometimes leaving the peasant farmers with nothing. It was a form of tax payment, or so the rich said. They promised to distribute it but in all likelihood, they kept it for themselves. In the middle of the village was a small square, a gathering place for the common folk. And near the square was a church, since most of the country was Catholic (due to the location of the kingdom to France), churches spring up everywhere. The carriage strolled along through the square. There appears to be a hanging this evening. A fat, balding man was on the rope, a farmer apparently. From what the men could gather, he was arrested for keeping a small portion of his crops when he was suppose to give it all to the landlord, which meant nothing to other countries. Might have lead to an eviction notice, but otherwise no harm. That was not the case here. The regional justice minister was advised by the royal justice minister to execute resistance. And there he was, the man, about to hang for trying to save some food for his family. His family, his blue-haired wife, his eldest son, his two young daughters weeping for his loss. Maybe not his son, but the rest of the family was weeping, for how would they survive without him. With no precautions, the man was dropped from the stool, the noose choking him to death. The men in the carriage watch the event unfold, and made out what the local lord said to them.

"Really, hanging for just sparing a few crops to feed his family? That's awful, most terrifying" Henri says concerningly. "Vhy doesn't the monarch put an end to this?"

"Because they are lousy good for nothings who don't care about the people, just themselves. It's what happened in France in 1789, it could happen again. Lousy king, whoever he is" William explains, his hand still on his face from the initial glass bleed.

"Vait, the French monarch is restored, uh, Louis-Philippe right? And don't you have your own monarch in your home country?" Henri asked.

"Well, one yes, the monarchy has been restored in France, but have you seen the papers. They have a revolution almost every minute, it'll be taken down just you wait. Oh, and two, our monarch is sworn to Magna Carta, she can't just do what the Hell she pleases" William states.

While the two men were conversing. Lukas was talking to a man for lodging for tonight. There was a place in town like that. He was given a drawing of the sign of the place, and it's name. Moe's Inn. Lukas knocks on the carriage door, and Henri opens it.

"So, here's the plan". Lukas begins to explain that they're in the small village of Sprig-felt, almost like Springfield in The states. It's a rather small farming community that is mostly a resting place for weary travelers. There is a cheap inn to stay at for the night that will take 2 copper coins as payment (or other nation equivalent). With the sun completely down, the trio decided to take lodging at Moe's for the night. Once they arrived at the place, they took note of what's there. It basically was like any other European inn that ever existed. There was a stable for the horse and carriage to rest for the night. And the inn itself was a basic two story setup. With a bar on the entrance of the inn. The sign had a picture of a beer mug and the sign also said the words "Moe's Inn". The two men make haste with their luggage while Lukas gets the horse and carriage into the stables. Henri and William approach the owner of the inn, who was rubbing down mugs. He was a... very homely guy, think of the up and coming politician in the United States, Abraham Lincoln. A very temperamental man, getting fake calls, carried out by pigeon of course, from some kid in the farming area. And you know, he keeps falling for it, every time. He tries to be calm and friendly as possible, he actually does a good job of this when not provoked. Our weary travelers enter the inn.

"Well well well, foreign tourists. Welcome to Moe's Inn, the greatest and cheapest inn of all of Sprig-felt. And might I ask what you fine travelers are doing in a small village like this one".

"Vell, guten Abend. Ve vere On our vay to France, the road leading there directly vas shut down, so ve had to go through this small kingdom, and now require lodging for tonight" Henri explains.

"Well of course, you're always welcome at Moe's Inn. Just two copper coins and you get a good room to sleep in, breakfast, on the house, and of course, first two beers also on the house". More pours a glass of beer for both of the men grab their currency, Henri pulled out one Reichsthaler, and William took out two shillings. They exchange the money for the beer.

"Here you are mr... uh..."

"Oh, Henri Alfred Schreiber" Henri says as he shakes Moe's hand.

"William Charles Roberts" William says, also shaking Moe's hand.

"Henri, William, pleasure to serve you" Moe responds. He looks at the money that he has been given.

"Ah, a Prussian and an Englishman" Moe comments, "heading to France, sounds ironic, given the past couple of years".

"Oh, the var is over, it doesn't matter" Henri says, while the two talk, William looks around the room and notices a young girl. A small girl probably 6 years old, probably older but she was so skinny and malnourished, it was hard to tell. Her hair was a fading blonde color, dirty like her skin and clothes. Her clothes were nothing but rags. Her feet were bare, showing off how dirty her feet were, like she has been without shoes for years. She was sweeping the floor of the inn. Her green eyes have the look of dispair, bu she has a smile on her face, something very unorthodox for a poor girl like her. William has questions.

"Excuse me, Mr. Moe"

"Oh please, that's what my ex-girlfriend calls me, call me Mr. Syzlack"

"Mr. Syzlack, if I may inquire, who is that little girl sweeping the floor". William says pointing to the girl he spotted just a few seconds ago.

"Her? Oh, she works around this village for whatever she can get. Her name is Mavis Vermillion, she comes from a nearby village in the area".

"Vhere is her parents?"

"Nowhere" Moe replies. "She told me she's an orphan. She's been living on her own for a while. I help he out by letting her stay in the stables for free. She works for me when I need it, but she mostly works around the village. Let me tell ya, at least she's not in those workhouses".

"Mr. Syzlack" the young girl, Mavis shouts as she goes up to him. "I've finished sweeping the floor!"

"Did you sweep the basement?"

Mavis nods

"How about the upstairs?"

She nods again

"The stables, windows, and the washroom?"

"Yes" Mavis says. "I did everything you wanted me to".

"Even grabbing the water from the river?"

She nods.

"You done alright kid". Moe goes through his bag of coins and pulls up four copper coins. He asks her to hold out her hands, and he gives her the coins.

"For your hard work today" Moe says. Mavis gasped, looking at the coins and was pretty excited about them.

"Thank you so much Mr. Syslack, now I have enough money to buy some apples for tonight". Mavis gleefully leaves to find an apple cart that was about to close up for tonight, it's been a while when she ate something good, she would usually have to scavenge the trash to find something to eat. She runs, laughing happily.

"Take care of yourself" Moe shouts, then returns to the two men. "She's a good kid. Wish there was more I could do for Mavis".

"Can't you adopt her?"

"I would if I could, but with the king's ridiculous taxes, I don't even have enough money to stay in business".

Later at, The two men were getting ready for some shut eye. They got themselves separate rooms, master suite rooms, amazing how far two copper coins. Lukas opted to stay in a smaller room, he doesn't make as much money, so in an attempt to save money, he would pay for a cheaper room, only one copper coin. It was the middle of the night, but William couldn't sleep though, he was concerned for the little girl. He doesn't know if she will be safe, just in the stables by herself. She must be freezing, probably starving. She mentioned she had enough money for apples, but is that even enough? Without a second thought, William got some coins, which by the way, Moe gladly exchanged some of the other currencies to Toontopian coins, grabbed a loaf of bread he carried from England, wanting to save money on food, grabbed his coat, and went out to the stables to find the girl. And there she was, curled up on a pile of hay. Covered in a thin, ragged, and torn blanket. She must be freezing. He goes up to the little girl, who by chance started to wake up from the cold chill of the night. She sees the man and and lets out a small gasp and flinched, frightened that she might be taken away. William sees her flinch, and wanted to comfort her.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you" William says, in a quite manner, as not to startle anyone else.

"W-What are you doing here" she asked in a frightened tone.

"I just wanted to see if you're okay, you seem lonely out here all by yourself".

"I-I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me mister"

"You really shouldn't be sleeping outside by yourself like this"

"I've lived here for almost my entire life, Mr. Syzlack has been so kind to let me stay here. It's way better than living in an orphanage".

"Were you placed in one, uh... Mavis?" He said, trying to remember her name.

"I was. They put me in the Red Lizard orphanage back in my old village after my parents died of the plague, and my home burned down. The owner abused us orphans, I had enough and ran away, I found myself begging on the road for food and eventually I found myself here. I took some work around the village to get a few coins".

"Don't you miss your parents?"

"I do" she says, tears about to appear in her eyes. "But I'm not going to cry, I don't to be seen as a crybaby. If I do, then I won't get to meet a real fairy".

"Fairies?"

"My papa and mama told me all about them, fairies don't come to crybabies. So, I won't cry, not until I meet the fairies!" She said, happily and hopeful.

'Fairies? But there is no such thing, if there were, then by God, Dragons, Robin Hood, and leprechauns would exist. And God forbid leprechauns to wander Ireland, travel to England and make a mess of things' William thought to himself.

"Mister, what happened to your face" she asks, pointing at the bandage around his face

"Bloody window accident, a guard hit my window and glass blew everywhere" he said annoyed, while she let a small laugh. He then heard a loud, long growling sound. It wasn't him, it was Mavis.

"Those two small apples I ate probably wasn't enough"

"Wait, four bloody copper coins for two small apples?" William asked, shocked at the ridiculous price, I mean yes, in famine, food costs more, but small foods were suppose to stay cheap, though he is not aware of the famine going on.

"Well, I saved fifty copper coins to buy these small apples for months, they are usually around two silver and five copper coins, the big ones cost five silver coins"

"Bloody Christ" William cursed, he then went through his pockets and pulled out a coin bag. He ordered her to bring out her hands and he puts five silver coins in her hands. Mavis is surprised.

"Mister, w-w-what are you-?". William then pulls out a loaf of bread.

"Here" William says. "You need this more than I do. You must be practically starving". Mavis gasps, no one has offered her free food before. She takes the bread from William.

"Thank you mister" she says as she begins to eat it. "Why are you doing this? No one has ever handed me free food before".

"No one should suffer. I don't want to see you starve, freeze, all alone in the world. I wish I could take you with me, but I can't, I don't have the means to do so at the moment, just being a fisherman. You deserve better. Doesn't the church help you out or something?"

"The priest says that God has no intention of helping the poor, he says that he rather see us suffer". William is shocked

'The hell? What is this priest talking about, God believes in giving to those less fortunate. Could it be the Catholic Church is being corrupted by some figure?' William thought to himself. He then looked at Mavis again.

"Look, what the church tells you is wrong, God doesn't want to see you suffer, it's God who is watching you, making sure you survive, he'll help you find someone to look after you. You'll have a home soon enough".

"I will?"

"Yes. Just promise me to stay safe, don't do anything stupid".

"Of course mister, I wouldn't dream of it".

"Good, listen I have to go back to bed, O have to leave in the morning".

"Will I ever see you again mister?".

"Who knows maybe. And you'll be able so see my entire face". Mavis laughs. William waves goodbye before heading back to his room, before being stopped by Henri, who was also awake. Henri asked what he was doing up.

"I was taking care of someone, made sure they're alright, helping someone".

"Oh, your vife?"

"Oh, no, I'm not married, it was someone else, someone in need of help" William said glancing at the window, looking at Mavis. She was fast asleep, soundly, belly filled for a while.

"Vell, just get to bed, ve don't vant you to be left behind"

"Of course"

-End of Chapter 2-


	4. Chapter 3:Naofumi Iwatani

It was a new day. The sun rose upon the river as the village. Henri and William wake up and prepare themselves for the long journey ahead. They washed their faces, as it was common for people to take a bath once or twice a week. They just wanted to freshen up. They would go downstairs to eat breakfast. Moe served a simple breakfast of bread and cheese, a bowl of porridge, and ale, even though water was becoming more safer to drink, people in this kingdom prefer to drink ale for breakfast, mostly because they can't afford clean to drink. The aristocracy is withholding clean water for just themselves. Also, it adds flavor in the mornings from their mundane, cheap breakfast. They finish up, Lukas comes down to the stables to retrieve his horse and carriage. Unfortunately, when he got to the stables.

"Oh God" Lukas shouts frantically, "my carriage!! I-I-it's gone!!". William, Henri, and Moe run out to see what the problem was, and they find that the horse and carriage. Henri and William are shocked and worried, worried that they would be stuck here and can't get to France. Moe is just annoyed. Clearly this happens before, or just frequently. He goes up to Mavis, who was starting her work, sweeping the stable.

"Hey kid, did you see anyone take a horse and carriage?"

"No, I didn't see anyone". Moe returned to the visitors.

"Damnit, this happens every. Recently a bunch of thieves decided it be a swell idea to steal my customers things in the stables. It's damn hassle that's what it is". Moe suddenly becomes worried. "Uh, you didn't have anything valuable in their, did you?"

"No" Henri and William said, but Lukas...

"My whole livelihood is in there!" Lukas shouts, angrily worried. "What the hell am I suppose to do?"

"Well, I can't help you there, sorry". Just then, a new voice can be heard.

"You guys need help?". A new man shows up at the inn. He was at least in his twenties, a young, slim man was he. Black hair, spiky in all directions, indicating a traveler, and with that outfit of his, a black long-sleeve shirt, boots, green pants, green cape, fingerless gloves, and wool padding, it most certainly is one. He usually wears a scowl on his face, but is relaxed at the moment, with only a serious looking face, as like something broke him to be this way.

"Ah, Naofumi Iwatani" Moe says like he knows him, which he does. Naofumi is a frequent customer of Moe's Inn. "My favorite customer".

"I was just passing by and I over heard you needed help. It was likely that your horse and carriage was taken to the Capitol of the Kingdom, I'll be glad to take you there. I was on my way there myself".

"We be glad to take your offer Mr. Naofumi, Thank you" William says.

"However" Naofumi says, "I expect you to pay two silver, as compensation".

'He offers to help, but he expects payment?' The three of them thought. 'Such an odd fellow'.

But they did not hesitate, they paid the two silver coins, each of them. Naofumi then proceeds to buy a barrel of ale from Moe, paying four out of the six silver coins he got, who gladly obliges. Naofumi knows his way through the kingdom, being a frequent traveler. He knows this country like the back of his hand. He then proceeds to show the three men the wagon. The wagon was carried by a large, white bird. Feathers as soft as the fluffiest pillows and blankets that not even money can buy. The wagon itself was filled with supplies and sleeping equipment. There is also a woman in the wagon. She had long hair, and surprisingly, she raccoon ears. In this kingdom, her type, a Demi-human, were a common sight in this country. These folks are a combination of human and animal characteristics. In the real world, they were a rare thing indeed. She was wearing an outfit, almost the same as what Naofumi was wearing. It was a red and white dress. She had boots and gloves. A red tie wraps her collar, and she had metal bracelets on her.

"Master Naofumi, your back!" She said happily.

"Yes Raphtalia. I'm back" Naofumi says to the woman, named Raphtalia. Moe loads the barrel of ale onto the wagon. William and Henri are taking in what is happening, and what is in front of them.

'A bird in place of a horse and a raccoon woman? This truly is a weird country' they both thought to themselves.

"Well, here you go" Moe says. "All set".

"Thanks Moe" Naofumi says.

"No problem, anytime. And don't worry" Moe says, his attention to the three foreigners. "You are in safe hands with this fine gentleman. He might seem stern, but he's a good guy. He'll get the job done at no time at all".

"Ja, but at a cost!" Henri remarked.

"That's just the price of service" Naofumi responds. "Now, Mr..."

"Kaufmann, Lukas Kaufmann".

"Yes now, can you tell me what your carriage looks like?"

"It's black, a Berline model. Windows on both sides, a trunk, and it has the Austrian seal".

"Okay". Naofumi gets on to his wagon. "Well come on, hurry up or I'll leave you behind!" He shouts at Lukas. He get in to the wagon and as soon as it looks like everyone is on board, the big bird started to trot along the road, leaving the little village behind, that was before Moe said farewell. They were on there merry way, who knows where. The three foreigners had so many questions, but Naofumi asked first.

"By the way, I didn't get your names" he said asking the other two foreigners.

"Oh, Henri, Henri Albert Schreiber"

"William, William Charles Roberts"

"And you're all heading to France?".

"Yes". Naofumi just sighed, obviously not caring. Silence fell upon the travelers for a minute. The raccoon girl, Raphtalia, decided to break the silence.

"Well, that sounds like a lot of fun. France sounds like a lot of fun".

"Ja, it, it really is" Henri responds, finding it a little weird to be talking to a demi-human. He ignores his mind and continues chat. "So, that bird is really energetic pulling the wagon".

"Of course, Filo loves to pull the wagon around, we travel around a lot, so it's good to have someone energetic to do so".

"You travel cross country?" Asked William.

"Almost all the time".

"So you're constantly moving?".

"Well, you can say that". Naofumi glares at Raphtalia to shut up. But those pesky questions were coming up.

"Don't have a permanent residency?" asked William.

"Not that I know of" Raphtalia responds. "Maybe Master Naofumi lived somewhere before..." she is cut short by Naofumi.

"It can't be helped" Naofumi says, giving up on not going into conversation. "If you must know why I travel a lot, I'll tell you". Naofumi goes on to tell the trio his past life. Apparently, he was the bastard son of a rich noble, a Baroness, born in the Melromarc county. A Japanese horseman supposedly courted a rich Melromarc woman, how the horseman ended up there was not important. What was important was the fact that the woman now bared a child, who was born Naofumi. The child was part of the so called shield family, part of the four cardinal families in conjunction with the ruling family of the county. The duke of Melromarc summoned these four barons to command squads to fight against immediate threats. Naofumi lived a normal noble son's life, very comfortable really, but he was treated differently because of his bastard son status. Lady Malty, heir to the title of Duchess, really hated him, as well as the duke escort. So when Baron Naofumi accidentally bumped into Lady Malty, she took the opportunity to frame him for assault and near-rape. This didn't go down well with the cardinal families, as the duke, who gave him a fake trial with fake evidence, which didn't help the fact that the justice system was biased for women to get off scot free anyway, expelled Naofumi from the court, and his family stripped him of his title and royal lineage. Penniless, powerless, he was sent away in a wagon with just his possessions, and two horses, which were taken away by a mercenary army raised by Lady Malty. He traveled around the country, working, begging, and living off the land. He come across Raphtalia, an escaped orphan slave child, due to the different counties rules on demi-humans. She was sickly, near death, starving, ragged, and dirty, so Naofumi took her in, who she now referred to Naofumi as master. Also at the same time, as he himself, a strong guy, was pulling his own wagon, found the egg that grew to be Filo, whom he raised to pull the wagon for him. Now he travels around the kingdom, offering his services and help, but at a price. A price not really expensive for the peasant class, but a little more hearty for the upper classes and foreigners. He, who has been wronged by justice system and Lady Malty, is seeking revenge for their actions. He is waiting for the day for his name to be cleared and his livelihood restored. Also, having traveled around in the wagon for half of his young adult life, he has first seen the poverty, starvation, and corruption of the government, and is seeking a way to make life better.

The trio listen carefully to Naofumi, it was a saddening tale to say the least, it was almost similar to Voltaire's greatest novel, though it was more comedic. This story is just a plain tearjerker. And when Lady Malty was described, all they thought was... Damn, what a b, or what they could have thought if this were a modern era. Actually, the best insult for her is too terrible, not even the writer would be so inclined to push away all sense of morality to write it out. What could follow is what someone would described a person possessed by a demonic being. Evil. Pure, unadulterated, evil. It was no wonder why Naofumi hated this world and why he is angry all the time. If you encountered someone like her, you would probably hate life too. A question popped up from William.

"So the government is being run by a bunch of liars, thieves, and degenerates" asked Lukas

"Well, most parts, the government really is divided. The king doesn't care what happens to it's citizens. And the prisons our overcrowded with poor innocent people, child or adult, though mostly male".

"What I'm concerned is that slavery still exists, why the bloody Hell does this evil institution still exist?" William says

"Oh come on" Henri tells him. "Yes slavery still exists, ask the American President on the status of those African slaves. Besides, the British East India Company is not innocent on the practice of slavery aren't they". As they were conversing, they passed by a small tent in a ditch. Beside that tent, three red-head children. Dirty, ragged, barefoot, starved were they, the youngest was eating dirt, tears in his eye, trying anything the soothe his hunger. The eldest brother and sister found a small potato in the ditch and were fighting over who should eat it. It was too small to share. The eldest sister, who was practically a Tom-boy, punched the brother, and in victory, bit in to the potato. A couple seconds later, she spat it out. The potato's inside was blacken and green. It was rotten. She fell down to the floor, tears forming in her eyes. It seemed that they would starve to death, rotting in filth. The travelers look upon this sobbed scene.

"The famine really took a toll on the children" Raphtalia said sadly.

"Famine?" Henri asked.

"Durning the war, food supplies went to the army, what ever remained was rationed to the citizens. The French invaded and pupated us. The rest of our food supply went to the French Army. The soil couldn't recover from the overproduction, making it useless causing the famine. Food was suppose to be supplied from our former allies which did happen. However, the food supplies went to the rich who kept it all to themselves".

"I assume those children were orphans as well" Raphtalia said, referring to those three siblings.

"There are more orphans?" William asked.

"This country is full of them. A mysterious plague came and killed half of the nation's adults. Those who remained were of the upper class. Those orphaned found Themselves farther in poverty, some ended up on the streets, kicked out of their homes. They are forced to work. Either in the workhouses or on the streets. I'm sure you experienced seeing this yourselves". The trio remembers seeing those young border guardsmen, and Mavis.

"I promised that when I get power back, I will do my best to fix this situation. Even as a baron, I would talk about fixing the state of our nation for the better. I think that was one of the other reasons why Lady Malty hated me. She just doesn't understand how the other half live".

"I mean, discontent breeds revolution" William says. "It won't be long until the people revolt against the monarch".

"Ja, it happened in France, it can happen anywhere".

"Discontent does breed revolution, but fear keeps people down. They have an army to kill us, we don't even have enough money to purchase a knife, or at least a good one. It's when people no longer have fear, that they revolt against the system".

"Maybe a neighboring country would be invading you guys, probably putting an end to your misery" Henri responds.

"God, I hope your country hasn't any plans to invade" William says annoyed.

"Nein, nein. A German State needs to be formed before that happens. Just think, there are stronger neighbors, and they are doing just fine. It's called taking advantage of a bad situation".

"You know" Naofumi responds. "You are probably right. Being invaded seems like the best, and probably final solution to end the children's suffering, it'll all be over if any of our neighbors attack. I think we'd be better off a piece of annexed territory".

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia shouts.

"What, I'm just saying" .

-End of Chapter 3-


	5. Chapter 4:Jellal Fernandes

Our travelers continued on the road. The next town was not too far, they would make a stop there to rest. They pass through a mining area. Prisoners, mostly children, shackled and chained, were forced to work here, as punishment for very minor offenses, like stealing. Naofumi explains how they are worked from dawn to dusk, with no break, no food, and no thought for their well being. They are starved, tired, dehydrated, and humiliated, if they do not continue to work, they are tortured, usually whipped or beaten. With Benjamin Franklin discovering electricity, the prison guards have started using storms and the lighting for this new shock punishment, where they electrocute the victim until they beg them to stop or until they die. It's worse for them once they get out of prison. They receive a piece of parole paper which, in easy words, they can!t find any work because of a criminal record, no matter how small that crime may be. To most prisoners, it was better to die in prison rather than to live. With death, the suffering just ends. Most people believe things were going to get worse before it gets better. The government simply just doesn't care for criminals, nor the poor for that matter. The church and the government both agree that the poor and the peasants breed criminality. They see no difference between criminals and the poor. Peasants grow to become criminals, and God hates both, thus no one should help them, or so the church says. They are just to busy turning a blind eye on the monarch to care. The church is being run by a friend of the current king, which remind you readers was appointed by Napoleon back when it was annexed by the First French Empire.

"This is most terrible" Henri exclaims.

"Yeah, but you know, it wasn't always like this" Naofumi says. "I was only 3 years old when the Napoleonic invasion happened, but things were much better, under our last real king".

"Last real king?" Asked William.

"You know how a pretender almost claimed the throne of England before King William and Queen Mary? Well, we used to have an actual king. One that was not only legitimate, but also kind and benevolent".

"Who vas he?" Asked Henri. Naofumi begins to tell them about King Thomas of the Warburton family. King Thomas ruled the country from 1776, the year of American independence, to 1805, his untimely demise. He ruled the country as a gracious, kind, and benevolent king. He was the only monarch to go out and help the poor. He gave them extra food from the many parties he held in the royal palace. He spent the money collected from taxes to improve life by providing better healthcare, education, and basically creating jobs that paid well. He heavily invested in agriculture and industry. He was also a patron of arts, commissioning works of art from portraits of the royal family, to scenes of everyday Toontopian life. He supported plays, operas, and orchestra concerts about life in Toontopia as well as sponsor free concerts and plays for the poor to enjoy. Not only was a gracious and benevolent, he was also merciful, granting pardons to those who broke minor laws, like stealing. He also prevented the poor from being evicted by giving money to them to pay the rent without interest. He was the best king to have ever lived in Europe. History was not on his side however. As Napoleon seized control of France after the revolution, he went to war with half the crown heads of Europe. Those who tried to fight him were steamrolled like a sponge being deprived of water. Many monarchies fell to the might of Napoleon. Spain, Italy, The Holy Roman Empire, The Netherlands, all were scum to France. This was the same with Toontopia. As much as the gallant soldiers fought off the French menace, they all fell to France, and King Thomas was killed in the firefight. The rest of the royal family were either exiled or executed. Emperor Boniparte replaced the government with a type of puppet state, led by his cousin's brother's friend's uncle twice removed, Richard Grayson. A shrewd, pansy, black slick-haired boy from Milan, who was at the will of Napoleon and did what he pleased. He supplied his residence with tons of food, as well as the barracks of the soldiers while the people suffered. He pushed French law hard on them as the people began to see more of their previous rights granted by the previous government taken away. They got plunged further and further into poverty as a result.

During the downfall of Napoleon after the failed invasion of Russia in 1812, they thought it was all over, but Richard still hold the reigns in the name of Napoleon. Since no one cared for Toontopia, they could still be part of the French Empire without an actual French Empire. After Napoleon's real downfall came in 1815 at the battle of Waterloo, where he was exiled to St. Helena, Richard declared himself King Richard the Greatest of Toontopia, where he enforced harsh laws, excessive taxes, and cruel punishments, all to maintain his lavish and decadent parties and lifestyle. He appointed his friends as advisors as well as appoint his wife the justice minister. With the famine and adult killing plague, life has been unbearable under Richard, who the people call Dick in more reasons then one.

With Naofumi's tale over, the trio were shocked and appalled. Though Fredrick IV and Victoria would never get their hands dirty, they were benevolent and philanthropic. Well, maybe Victoria was the only philanthropist, but they were good rulers. It was most miserable under this so called King Richard. Sun was setting however, and they needed to sleep somewhere. They arrived at another town, Rosewater village was the name, it was a little more smaller, being a wood working village, from the many workshops and wood carving shops. The town was situated next to an almost dried out lake. Fish bones scatter the beaches as children scavenge the beaches for food or anything valuable to sell. There is an inn, not as spacious as Moe's but it was quaint, and humble. It was situated on some green space, but much smaller than Moe's. It still has a stable, as in Toontopia, it was pretty much common for stables to be placed in inns. The building itself, was only one story, as since this was a smaller village, it often doesn't receive any travelers. Naofumi stops Filo and detach her from the wagon, parking it next to the inn. He says he and Raphtalia stay with Filo and the wagon, just to make sure robbers don't take it. Filo can fight fine but it's just a precaution. The three men, Henri, William, and Lukas, enter the inn which is almost like Moe's, with the exception of no bar. They are greeted by a woman, yes... a woman, who owned the inn. She had fair skin, her hair was black, but her defiant feature there were her dark red bangs. She had sandals on and a simple sleeveless white dress, indicating low class status. She approaches our weary travelers.

"Greetings travelers" she says. "My name is Rose Thomas, and I am the keeper of this inn. It's a pleasure to meet you". She pulls her hand out for a handshake

"Hello, I'm William, William Charles Roberts".

"Gluten Tag, mein name is Henri Albert Schreiber".

"Und mein name is Lukas Kaufmann". All of them shake her hands.

"You must be foreigners. We don't get much around here. Might I ask what you fine foreigners are doing in a town like this".

"Vell, ve vere on our vay to France when the roads leading directly there were closed".

"That, und mein carriage was stolen by robbers" Lukas adds.

"We require lodging for tonight" William says.

"Well I'm glad you came. I offer a flat fee of four copper coins. That might seem a lot, but it's what I do to keep business floating. There will be breakfast served in the morning, and right now I'm offering dinner tonight if you want to eat". They agree to eat the dinner offered after paying the four copper coins. The dinner at offer was small though, what she can get from the lake which was, for each person, three small dried tuna fish, and dried kale, all she can get for free from the lake. Bread was served, but it's a little bit hard and a little moldy, being that bread is expensive, and she doesn't have the money to buy more. She tells them stories of how the village used to be. The lake shimmered and was one of the reasons so many visitors come here. She was born in another village just south of here. When her family died in a freak fire accident, she moved to Rosewater where she met a young fellow named Alfonse Heidrich, who was the previous own of the inn. She married him not soon after that. When they married, business was booming. Then the war happened, and Alfonse died, being drafted into the army, dying in battle. She took his place as owner but drought and famine happened and the village was left with nothing. They, however, have hope that everything is going to be alright. Now it's really late, so the trio decide to head to their rooms. They also explain how someone else is sleeping outside in their wagon, parked in the inn stable. She says it's fine and will charge the person one copper coin in the morning. They retire to the rooms, all of them are rather small, kind of cramped. One bed, one light, in one small space. They put all of their belongings on the floor, put on their night gowns, and head to bed.

They were fast asleep, it was the middle of the night. Then something occurred. A loud thump is heard in Henri's bedroom. They awoke to the sound, and everyone not Henri ran to his room. Henri opened his lights and what does he see? It was a child, no more than 10 years old. He had blue hair, and a red tattoo around his right eye. He wore ragged tank top, ragged green shorts, and was barefoot. He must be a prisoner, that and he had cuffs on him, poor soul. He is at a stance, trying to protect himself from those who might hurt him. Henri cautiously tries to go up to him.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll fight!" the boy shouts, frightened but wanting to be tough. The men, and Rose, enter Henri's room.

"What the bloody Hell is going on?" William asked.

"Don't come any closer!" the boy continues to shout, huffing like he has no breath. He is very hungry and is on the verge of collapsing. And wouldn't you know, he collapses on his knees. Out of breath, he begs, tears held back, still wanting to look strong.

"Please don't turn me in, please help me" he begs. "I'll do whatever you want, I'll even try to pay you for a place to stay tonight, just don't turn me in".

Naofumi and Raphtalia are now involved, as they get into the room.

"What's going on?" Raphtalia said. Rose tries to go up and comfort the boy, who flinches.

"It's okay" Rose says in a soft tone, "I'm not going to harm you, nor turn you in. I want to help you". Upon hearing this, the boy fell into Rose's arms. No one offered to help him out. They just thrown him aside. He starts to cry in her arms.

"One of you should get some leftover bread from the kitchen" Rose says. Raphtalia does so. The boy eats it like there is no tomorrow. It's clear that he hasn't had food in a long time. As he eats, he's being asked questions from the travelers.

"So, what's your name child?" William asked.

"It's Jellal, Jellal Fernandes" the boy, Jellal says. "I come from the work camp near here".

"That vould make you classified as a criminal right?" Henri asked.

"Let's get one thing straight, I'm not a criminal" Jellal explains. "I had to do what I had to do to get by". He goes on to tell them his story. He comes from the southern part of Toontopia in the small village of Celestial Hills. His parents were peasant farmers who died when he was born. With no one to care for him, he was sent to the orphanage in the capital city. At age 6, he escaped the orphanage and lived on the streets for several years. He eventually ended up in the slums where he met a wonderful, beautiful girl. She had the prettiest scarlet hair, what he would call a rose of the slums. She too was an orphan, left on her own. The difference is that she is staying with other kids who escaped the grasps of the orphanage, they were also being taken care of, in the slums, by an elderly man, they called him Grandpa Rob. He is not any of the children's grandfather, but he helps care for the orphans living in the slums. He ended up staying with them in their slum home in the Capitol. As times were getting worse, Jellal never stole to survive. He kept going with a smile, having hope for a better future. Things weren't looking up though. They had survived this far by scavenging the trash for food and valuables. It's not enough to keep them alive at this point.

Grandpa Rob died when he was 8, from lack of food and the unsanitary living conditions, breeding grounds for disease. It was at this time that their friend was also ill and dying. Was it to come to this? Them and their friends, dying off one by one like rats? Jellal thought of this and something snapped. He had to survive, he wants to save his friends from death. He wants to change their future for the better. He did what he did, he stole some fish from a fish seller, who got it from the city's river, and just ran to the slums. Unfortunately, he was captured by the royal guards. He was sent to the royal court of justice in front of the royal judge. He wanted to tell them his story, hoping that they would help, but the judge, she did;it give him a fair trial. His punishment for just stealing fish was twenty years in prison. They sent him away from his friends. He probably won't be able to see them again. It was only two years in the prison, which remind you it was also a work camp, meaning that these "prisoners" were basically slaves, and it was this time where Jellal again broke and deserted when they weren't looking. He's been on the run for three days until he got here. He just wants to return home and find his friends. To see if they are okay.

Rose puts Jellal to bed in one of the inn's rooms, she wants to ensure he was safe. She goes to the visitors, who were thinking all that just occurred, to ask what will happen to Jellal.

"We shouldn't turn him in to the authorities, the justice system is just to cruel" William says.

"Normally I vould vant Justice be served" Henri says. "I mean, he did steal food, and escaped prison. However, I can't stand the inhumane punishments used for just minor offenses".

"Well that's the way things are under this regime" Naofumi explains. "It's nothing but cruelty for the innocent while the rich just get off Scott free".

"He's right" Rose adds. "The lord who owns this land keeps taxing me almost out of business. If I keep the child, I'm going to be taxed, and I can9t afford that at the moment". The landlord of the village basically put a tax on everything. He taxed sugar, paper, candles, matches, windows, beds, children, etc. that it's been hard to keep money in the hands of the villagers. What does he do with that money? Why, spend it on lavish parties of course. Lukas wanted to say something.

"We can't just leave the child to die can we? We need to do something".

"You're right, but first I think we need some sleep, it's late. We can discuss this tomorrow morning" William says, and off to bed they went. Poor children, what did they do to deserve this?

-End of Chapter Four-


	6. Chapter 5: Chad Dickson

The morning sun shown. The men were awake and went for breakfast. Once again, it was just bread and ale. No cheese, being How Rose can't afford cheese. Rose was out in the stable talking to Naofumi about the inn rent. As for the boy Jellal, Rose would let him stay for the time being, but he would have to do some work, which was okay for him. He was just sweeping the entrance of the inn. He's lucky that they weren't going to turn them in. He would have to work for Rose for a while, but as soon as she lets him go and the prison guards aren't looking for him, he can go back and find his friends and see if they are okay. Maybe ask these people for money for food. He sweeps when all of a sudden... oh God! The imperial prison guards are in town. And the inspector is with them. They are looking for him. If they find him here, he's bound to return to prison, or worse, executed. Fearing for his life, Jellal runs back inside the inn, trying to find a place to hide. William and Henri see him run past and jumped up from their table and ran to him, he appears in Henri's room.

"Vaht's going on?" Asked Henri.

"The guards" said Jellal frighteningly, and frantically looking for a space to hide. "Their going to find me and kill me". Knowing the situation, they try to calm him.

"I don't think those fools would suspect an escaped convict to appear in a small business like this one" William says.

"But vouldn't just make it more suspicious?"

"Do you want to calm him, or scare the bloody daylights out of him?". Before Henri can answer Rose comes in.

"There you guys are"

"What do you need Rose, we are in the middle of something" William says.

"The guards, they are coming here". There was no more time to waste. They got to hide Jellal.

"Over there child" Henri says pointing to the chest that was in his room. "Hide in there and don't move a single muscle". He helps Jellal into the chest and locks it shut. A knock is heard at the door and Rose gets it. In the front, two teenagers in guard uniform stand at the door. One has a triangle shaped head and the other is oval headed. They stand clear for another teenager. Blonde hair with a cowlick, blue eyed, and Square headed. He wore the royal justice inspector uniform, a sort of Napoleon type of uniform but more humbler.

Before we can go further on this scene, let us go back seventeen years back. This child was born in a prison. His parents were professional murderers, making loads of money from getting hired to kill children from a big mafia boss. The whole operation was shut down by King Thomas and his parents were thrown in prison, sentenced for life. His parents died in prison for the plague when he was just 2 years old. His childhood remains a mystery for many. What is known is that the justice system took ahold of him, who disowned his parents and was offered a job as junior officer. His tactics for taking on criminals was outstanding for the system, he worked his way to inspector. Some say he has no heart, taking children away to the court for minor misdemeanors, just trying to survive in a harsh world. He doesn't care for their well being. He does his job while the poor and innocent suffer. If anyone just as tick someone off to the police, he would be there to arrest that someone without a word. He has become the tenth powerful person in Toontopia. When anyone sees him, they better start running. Whenever people hear his name, they tremble in fear. His name is Chad Dickson. And he is on duty today, trying to find the boy who escaped prison.

"Hello, may I help you" Rose asks him.

"Good morning ma'am" he says sternly. "I am Inspector Chad Dickson, the great inspector for the royal justice court of Toontopia. We are here on important business. There is rumor of an escaped convict in the area. I'm here to track him down".

"Well, I don't know who you're talking about".

"He has blue hair and a red odd looking tattoo on the right side of his face, you can't miss him".

"I haven't seen anyone today, besides some customers". Rose shows him the four people in the inn.

"Oh, foreigners. Right, I'm going to have to write your names and nationalities to track you down. We don't want any foreign ideas to take hold of our citizens".

"Henri Albert Schreiber, from Prussia".

"Hope you guys don't start invading us".

"William Charles Roberts, From Great Britain".

"Oh yeah, the guys that lost to America". Chad laughs, while both Henri and William are annoyed.

"Lukas Kaufmann from Austria".

"You mean the royal land of incest? Damn Hasburgs".

"Okay!" Lukas shouted pretty annoyed, "not everyone is breeding with their rela-". He was cut off by Chad

"Back off Austrian, or I'll have you under arrest".

Lukas sighed as he steps down. Chad looks around the inn, looking for the brat, not looking out in the stables where Naofumi was still there. The foreigners don't know it, but the Toontopian government are to take half of Naofumi's stuff. He looks through every room trying to find the boy while explaining what he has done, which these folks already figured out.

"He is a thief and an escapee. He must be punished severely. He must be hanged for all the kingdom to see".

"Don't you think death is a little extreme?" William asked.

"What was that, did I hear you want to be executed?". William shuts his mouth as the inspector continues to search, making his way to Henri's room. The air was getting warmer as Chad got closer. "Say, what is that" he said as he points to the chest in the room. "I don't see these kinds of things in the other rooms I searched".

"Oh, that's just an extra chest my husband had in the house. Since I live in the inn now, I didn't have a purpose for this chest so I put it in one of the guest rooms".

"And what is inside?"

"Just some of my husband's things. I jus-"

"Oh sure" Chad says sarcastically, cutting off Rose. "Just some of your things, or maybe it's a child!" He shouts as he forces open the chest, there were some covers, candleholders, paintings, letters, and an alchemy book, but no boy. Rose grabs a letter from the chest while Chad is confused.

"I just can't look at them and remember all the great things that happened when we were together. My husband died in the war. I just couldn't bear to sell it, so I had kept here as a piece of decoration in the inn. These memories just make me sad, I just can't bear to see them".

"Oh" Chad replies as he stops looking through the chest further. Of he did, he was sure to have found the boy.

"Terribly sorry for wasting your time ma'am" he says disappointed. He goes up to the three men.

"I'm watching you, you damn foreigners. Try anything funny, and we'll execute you. If anyone sees that damn convict, report him immediately! Good day". Chad begins to walk out of the inn. Before he does, he meets someone at the door. He was a large bald man wearing a black jacket with high collar that has a thin piping around the collar and down the front portions and silver closures over black trousers. He has a white scarf-like cloth on his neck. He was both the landlord and the priest of the town, as corrupted officials would give priests entire towns to rule over. The man in question was Father Cornello, and he is working with Chad to catch the boy on the town.

"Did you find him".

"Not a trace".

"Well I don't expect him to be here, if I did see a child, I would have taxed the person keeping him heavily. Why don't you try the next town over, he probably got that far".

"That is what I'll do. Anything to catch that brat. Of you see him in town, get me. Is that clear?".

"Yes sir, have a pleasant day sir". And with that, Chad leaves. He almost missed out on Naofumi whom he punched in the face and took half the stuff in his wagon. As for Rose, Father Cornello goes up to her.

"Father Cornello!"

"It is I Rose. You aren't hiding a brat now are you?"

"Of course not"

"Good, of you did, I would have had to tax you. Which by the way, your rent, church donation, and taxes are due by the end of the week. I will kick you out of my land if you don't pay up. Got it?"

"Yes"

"Good. Farewell". And Cornello walks out. Rose returns to the room while the boys help Jellal out of the chest. He hid under the blankets and was cramped in with the other stuff. He lets out a great big sigh of relief while catching his breath from the chest. He feared that they would be back any day. He is now being hunted down by almost everyone who sees him. It's no longer safe for him to stay.

"I can't keep him here. The people will find out that he is here, and then the guards will come after him. Knowing them, they placed a reward for his head. And besides, the landlord will tax me more if I kept this child and he finds out".

"What can we do though?" William asked. Just then, Naofumi enters the room, his face swelling from the punch he received from Chad. Raphtalia was following suit, fussing over his wounds. Saying how he really shouldn't be moving after such a blow like that. Obviously he can take it though.

"We were on our way to the Capitol. Perhaps we could take the kid there and drop him off to where his friends are".

"You sure? You'll get in trouble if you help an escaped convict".

"They all hate me because of my accusation, it doesn't matter if they hate me more. I don't care. We must not haste. We leave now". So without delay the foreigners follow Naofumi to the wagon. Some of his stuff were missing, but that's because Chad took some of it just because he was powerful over Naofumi. Rose helped Jellal get into Naofumi's wagon. They would load up Naofumi's wagon with food and other goods to both replace the items lost from Chad, and to hide Jellal from the guards.

"I can't thank you enough for all of this. I really appriciate it" Jellal says relieved and happy to be free.

"Don't mention it kid" Naofumi responds. "And thank you Rose for the extra stockpile".

"No problem, I'm happy to help" Rose says. Naofumi reaches for his pockets and takes out a small sack of coins.

"This is for you, for your help, Jellal, as well as staying in the inn". He hands the sack to Rose. The total amount she found in there was twenty silver coins. Rose is suprised, but she gladly takes it.

"Thank You" Rose says.

"No problem, I think we should head out".

"No kidding, my carriage is still missing, God knows what happened to it" Lukas says worrily. "I want to find it already, come on".

"Alright, hold on" Naofumi says. "We'll be seeing you soon". With that, Naofumi orders Filo to mush on out of town.

"Take care!" Rose shouts. They have exited town as the wagon trucks along the road. Along the side, there was something peculiar. A carriage, but not Lukas's. It was a fancy, but next to the carriage was something else. A dead body. A fat man with glasses, brown hair, wearing a frilly white shirt and green trousers was bleeding out. On the carriage there was something written.

Revolution is coming.

Along those words were a symbol. A shield with feathers in the front and in front of that were letters UA. They might not know whathas happened. but something is about to go down, and it ain't gonna be pretty.

-End of Chapter 5-


	7. Chapter 6: On The Road

Our friends continue on the road through the Toontopian countryside. Though typical countrysides are beautiful and robust. Toontopian countrysides are nothing more than mere reminder of the cruelty of the crown. Dirty half-starved children trying to get by on the road, traveling from town to town. Families living on the side of the road in tents, tents that had a lot of holes, parents doing what they can to protect what was left o their families. Some were even too young to take care of the rest of their dying families. Skeletons laid across the roads, signifying that many tried to travel on their own, but in these conditions, were left dead. To make matters worse, it was already December. The winter chill is starting to kick in. Now, the foreigners had on coats which provided protection from the elements, but these people on the side of the roads can't even afford to buy new clothes. They were in rags, no shoes, and some don't even have their shirts. They were all going to freeze to death if they can't get warm in time, well, if starvation doesn't get them first. It was an unsettling sight to say the least. As for our travelers, they were doing alright. Well, besides William which, may remind you readers, is still suffering from the glass in the face from the border guard. His face was bandaged back near the border, but he still needs to see a doctor, and considering how far they are still from the Capitol, he is tuck with that bandage for the time being. He was fine, but the doctor has to check for bacteria and other things.

"Sir, what happened to your eye?" Jellal Asked William.

"What this? A bloody guard thought it be a good idea to punch the back of a gun on to the window. Bits of glass broke through and landed on my eye".

"Wait, is that what happened?" Naofumi asks.

"Yes, those boys at the border were really aggressive"

"Vell, the fat-ass vas"

"That just sounds pathetic"

"Master Naofumi!"

"What? It's true. A fat-ass beating you, I'm surprised you went this way after that".

"Like we had a choice, the roads to France were a mess".

"Well-", and just before Naofumi can say anything else. Some else shouted something in the distance.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged out". The man approaches closer to the wagon. A good way to describe him was an arrogant jerk face. I'd say more, but we would be going into rated r territory right there. He is in his twenties. His blonde hair was long, tied back as a pony tail, which would give the appearance that he may be a woman. But his face says otherwise. A tall man and can be considered the most handsome man, if not in Toontopia, then in Europe. He is wearing some sort of white and scarlet armor with gold trimmings, and on the back, he is carrying some sort of spear. He was riding on horseback with a carriage following suit. He stops the horse in front of Naofumi's wagon, causing him to stop the wagon, annoyed and tired of this. Someone came out of the carriage however, and immediately he starts to scowl. She is a woman, a young fair woman, but she wasn't fair. She is a psychopathic, flirty, arrogant narcissist on the inside. A spoiled brat. Her long crimson hair and emerald green eyes and devilish smile, almost similar to another person from Texas in photos long past, probably six or seven years from the current year of 2019 dear reader. They say shells cute and one might say she was a waste of beauty. She and the blonde man were associated with each other. One thing to mention that they are partners, in the business of ruling a county, but they both love to travel to taunt the peasants. She was the daughter of a duke and the other was a baron. Naofumi just looked at them in anger.

"If it isn't the rapist bastard of The Shield Family, Naofumi Iwatani. Looking for more woman to rape I suppose".

"Who is this guy?" Henri whispered to Naofumi.

"That idiot is Motoyasu Kitamura". He explains that he is the current baron of the Spear family, as well as the duke escort to the duchess. one thing to mention about his lineage is that his father traveled to Japan around the early 1770s, under association of the Dutch East India Company. He found love with a young yūjo in Nagasaki. He courted her and months later, Motoyasu was born. This might be speculation, but when word was out that France invaded and annexed Toontopia, he brought along Motoyasu along back to the kingdom to secure his baronship over the county of Melromarc, leaving the young prostitute behind. Going back to Motoyasu, He really tries to be a nice guy, but he is naive and manipulable. He might be what our modern world might call a feminist. He would believe a word any woman would say, no facts, just words and emotions. He longed believed that the Shield baron was the devil incarnate because of his fiancé, the current duchess, speaking of, was with him right now.

"Oh Motoyasu" the lady said flirtingly. "It's cold out here. Why did we stop?". She starts getting closer to Motoyasu in a flirty matter.

"And who is she?" William asked.

"Remember about the woman who framed me?" Naofumi said.

"That's her?"

"Unfortunately. That is Malty S Melromarc". Dear reader we already know all about this woman from previous chapters, but to reiterate, she is a scum. She cheated Naofumi from the four cardinal families by framing him for sexual assault and near-rape. We can't blame her... kind of. She was spoiled by her father which lead her to abuse her authority as the duke's daughter.

"Ugh" Malty states in disgust. "It's the bastard devil of the shield. What is he doing here?".

"He must be finding more young children to take into slavery, like he did with her" Motoyasu said pointing to Raphtalia.

"But Master Naofumi is nice to me. He takes care-", Raphtalia is cut off by Malty

"Oh don't listen to that dirty, disgusting, lowly Demi-human Motoyasu, she is not intelligent like us humans". The foreigners were shocked. Demi-humans should be respected knowing of their rarity to the earth. To be fair though, their empires were also racist. The major European powers were mostly racist, including the US, who enslaved Africans.

"Besides, He might be Here find that blue haired boy that escaped from prison a couple of days ago and take him in. That will add more criminality, as usual for the devil". Jellal hides further back in the wagon. Malty and Motoyasu notices something in the back of Naofumi's wagon. It's not Jellal don't worry.

"Are they foreigners, what are they doing" Motoyasu asks.

"Well, we", before William can finish what he was about to say, Malty, being the snob she was, spoke out.

"Isn't it obvious, he is trying to hold them hostage to gain some monetary benefits. He truly is a devil, take him out at once".

"No vait, he"s just-"

"He must have brainwashed these hostages. I'll take him out".

"I don't think you're listening". Motoyasu brought out his spear and pointed it to Naofumi.

"The king will not be please, he will punish you, but I will take you on first". He starts to wield his spear, with attempt to attack Naofumi. Before he can strike, Lukas just gets in front of him.

"Now wait a minute, there must be some hell of miscommunication going on right now".

"What the hell are you doing. Get out of the way or I will not be afraid to cross you out too".

"If you kill him, you'll be committing murder, and on foreigners? Many nations won't take kindly".

"I don't think you understand you brainwashed foreigners. He is a devil of our society and must be eliminated. He must pay for what he did to my fiancé. Besides, our king doesn't care of what those other nations think. Now...". He raises his spear to attack them. And before he could kill them...

"Alright, that's enough from you". A new voice is heard from the distance. It was another nobleman, but he was a child. He had bluish-black hair and deep blue eyes. At least, it would be the case for both eyes, if one wasn't covered with a black eyepatch. His build seemed to be slim and thin, but it would be covered up by his clothes, a standing of a wealthy noble. A child he may be, but he is not in the mood for any funny business.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing kid?".

"I would ask you the same".

"Shouldn't you go back to your mama and papa. Kids like you shouldn't be running around unsupervised".

"They're not with me. I'm traveling alone".

"Motoyasu, just kill them already. We haven't got all day, we're suppose to be looking for that blue haired boy" Malty says impatiently.

"Right, now-"

"Now hold on". Another new voice is heard. A tall man, black hair, red eyes, and pale skin, you might have mistaken him as a demon. He was wearing the uniform of a butler, as he was obviously a butler. He sported a pin on his uniform, a crest. White gloves and a pocket watch are apparent too.

"You said you were traveling alone!" Motoyasu exclaimed.

"What kind of fool travels by himself on this road".

"My Master has a point. I'm afraid I can't let you kill these people".

"Why can't I? The king doesn't care who dies".

"Well, local county does. And if you don't stop this I will report you to local authorities" Sebastian said. Feeling like he has no control over the situation. Motoyasu leaves, putting away his spear and back on his horse.

"Spear Baron, what about the devil and those foreigners?".

"We'll deal with them later. They'll see not to mess with the Spear Baron. They'll pay". Malty obliges as she gets on the carriage she came in with.

"You haven't heard the last of me Naofumi. Devil of the shield. I will get you. I will kill you". With that the two leave. Ciel just sighed

Annoyed by this abuse of power.

"He may be a baron, but he is clearly to rowdy to be considered noble".

"Quite right my lord".

"Who are you?" William asked.

"Sorry, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ciel Phantomhive, Earl of Phantomhive".

"Well, Thank you for earlier. I just thought I was going to die" Lukas said.

"No problem. Sebastian, see if you can tend to any wounds they might have" Ciel says looking at the butler, whose name is Sebastian.

"Yes my lord". And right away he begins to look for any wounds. To no ones surprise, there were none. However looking at William, he tended to that nasty eye wound which was looking a little dirty. He gave him an extra eyepatch just to clear it up.

"Here. This should suffice until you see a doctor".

"Thank you, I needed that".

"Just my duty. I'm just simply one hell of a butler".

"Now, let me ask you foreigners. What are you doing here. In a backwards kingdom like this one?"

"Vell, ve vere on our vay to France" Henri states.

"But the regular roads to France were still in disrepair" William adds.

"And then my carriage was stolen, so now we're on our way to the Capitol" Lukas adds.

"I see" Ciel responded. "We were just on our way there. You care to come with? I could use the company".

"Well-"

"Master, there appears to be a boy in the back of the wagon". Sebastian clears away the rest of cargo in Naofumi's wagon making way for Jellal to be seen, squirming in the back.

"Isn't that the boy that escaped prison?"

"Yes my lord. He's Jellal Fernandes. Imprisoned for stealing fish two years ago. Sentenced to twenty years".

"All that for some fish?"

"I had to. No one was helping us, and my friend was dying. There was no other choice" Jellal explained sadly.

"I see. Well, come on. Let's get going, all of you".

"Are you turning me in?". Jellal was anxious. He doesn't want to go back, but there might be no choice now. He may never see his friends at this point.

"Of course not, you just stole fish, that seems a bit extreme. And besides, you had unfortunate circumstances".

"But I have a bounty on me".

"I don't care about any bounty. This is too absurd. I shall leave you alone". Jellal is relieved.

"The king truly is a tyrant, isn't he my lord?".

"Quite Sebastian".

"Vhat do you mean? You're noble. I thought you guys loved the king".

"You see sir, he may be of nobility, but he is no ordinary noble".

-End of Chapter 6-


	8. Chapter 7: Ishbala

The troupe gets going on the road once more. Lukas, William, and Henri agreed to travel with Ciel in his open-air carriage while Naofumi traveled in his wagon with Raphtalia and Jellal. They were traveling at top speed for a horse and carriage for the day, especially since the bird, Filo, can travel faster. They have traveled on the road for a while, that's when Ciel decided to talk about his story, as Sebastian stated he was no ordinary noble. He came from a normal noble family, The Phantomhive Family, one of the biggest landowners in Toontopia, the county of Funtomhive. He had parents, and he had a twin brother. It all changed when the plague attacked. His parents died along with it and a few short days after, his home mansion was burned down and his brother was kidnapped and is presumed dead. He lost his eye in the fire and lost his innocence after his brother was kidnapped. He became a little more mature and seldom smiles. There he was, living in the now ruined mansion, nothing left of it. He fell into depression, and was on the verge of death as he was about to embrace it, but low and behold, a miracle happened. It just so happened that Sebastian was passing by, just fresh from England. He offered to help Ciel out in his current situation after hearing what happened to him. He went straight away gathering contractors to rebuild the mansion and to buy proper clothes for the young master. He hired staff that were out of work anyway to care for both the mansion and the master, as well as be able to use physical force or weaponry to fight intruders.

Naturally, Sebastian wanted Ciel to build a reputation as a nobleman, but first, money should be coming in. He suggested to the young lord to reestablish the Funtom Toy Company, Established earlier as a workshop in the heart of the country. Ciel agreed and before anyone knew it, the Phantomhive name has been restored from the ashes. Ciel had a personal goal in mind. He wanted to make kids happy. He didn't want them to go through what he had to go through. He would develop new ways for toys to be cheaper, which spread his workshops across the land and toys to be cheaper, or so he thought. He would discover that the king shipped off two-thirds of his toys would be shipped out of the country raising the prices of Funtom toys. No child was happy, and they were suffering. Ciel, with the money earned from the company, decided to take matters in his own hands. So while he runs the company, in his spare time, he gives away an amount of his fortune to the poor. He has become what people call a philanthropist. Of course, Sebastian is behind his master on this matter. He does wish that the other nobles would understand and respect him. The nobles usually don't give to the poor. It was apart of the old feudal system that the rich shouldn't help the poor, and Ciel's reputation just blundered. No noble likes a philanthropist. He is an outcast among the wealthy, powerful nobles.

"That sounds like a wild story"

"Well it's not quite a believable story, but it's what the master insisted on telling".

"I know it's not the most believable, but it's true". The carriages continue to carry on until yet again, night falls. They approach a town sign, but the sign is beaten up and almost destroyed.

"Oh God".

"What is it young master?"

"Where in the town of Ishbala, what a dreadful place".

"Ishbala? Vhat has happened to make a place so dreadful?" Henri asked.

"Ishbala was once a flourishing town" Naofumi explained. "It was at the center of intercity commerce. When Napoleon invaded back in 1805, they established a governor to exploit what resources they had. Of course when Napoleon was defeated and his duke became king, the king tried to tax the people over there, but they didn't want any of it. So, they rioted and killed off the governor. The king, being the idiot of course, didn't care to reestablish order in town, so it has become a lawless city with no authority, no laws, and no peace".

"Indeed, I assume you foreigners didn't bring any weapons". They all said they didn't bring any weapons. Ciel brings out three flintlock pistols out and handed it to them.

"You'll need these. Sebastian, let's move. And carefully".

"Yes, my lord". And they proceeded to Ishbala with caution. As they approach the town, they see what kind of hellhole this place is. Bodies, littering the streets. People attacking other people, children running off with stolen items, beggars, thieves, not to mention the rubble from a riot a couple of days ago. The whole situation was a mess. The wagons continue on in the night.

"We not going to stop here. It's too dangerous to stay for the night, we'll just camp outside of town". All of a sudden, there was a break sound in the carriage. The wagons stop as Sebastian checks out the damage. Apparently the carriage hit a dead body on the road and the wheel broke.

"What happened?" Asked Lukas

"It appears my lord's carriage is wrecked. The wheel has been ruined by what appears to be a dead body. I'll be able to fix it, but it might take a while".

"Bloody Hell, how the hell did you not see that Sebastian?"

"The body fell as we passed it".

"Well, bollocks. What now?" Asked William.

"Well, you can try to reestablish order. This might be a blessing in disguise".

"It could be possible Sebastian. You foreigners will stay with me".

"Vait, vhy us?"

"Because I gave you those pistols, I'm not going out there, sacrificing myself in the name of order. Naofumi, you will go ahead of us and camp outside the town, and make sure that Jellal boy is safe".

"Right", and Naofumi goes on out of town with Jellal, asleep on Raphtalia's lap. As soon as they were out of sight, Ciel got the attention of the three foreigners.

"You three follow me". And so they left, with a lantern in Ciel's hand, they head to through the town. Though it is night, it was wild. The bars were lit and bar fights were common. Prostitution was rampant and there are those who took it too far and did it out in public. People were killing other people with knifes and other sharp objects. Ciel ordered the foreigners to be cautious and be ready to pull out their guns if anything goes down. And something was about to go down.

"Please don't kill me. I just wanted something to eat. I'm starving".

"I don't care. You think you can get away with stealing bread at night?". Voices in a small alley catches Ceil's attention. He orders our foreigners to follow him. They find a man holding a young girl by the arm and holding a knife in his hand. The young girl, holding a loaf of bread in one hand, was trembling, tears forming from her blue eyes. She must have been roughing out on the streets they thought, considering her appearance, with her thin, frail, and dirty body. Her blonde hair is almost not visible from all the dirt covering it. Her dress was nothing more than a potato sack, which was tattered and also dirty. Her shoes are non-existent with her legs and feet all scratched up.

"Don't think I will let you go just because you are a child. You will pay for trying to pull a trick like that". The man pulls the knife, ready to kill the poor girl. She whimpers in fear, unwilling to accept fate. She probably die, her time on earth over.

CLICK*

The man looks back and finds that Ciel brought out his pistol, pointing it in front of the man.

"Alright sir. Put down the knife".

"And just who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm a nobleman, Earl of Phantomhive, and I order you to let go of the girl. She did nothing to hurt you. I'll even pay for the bread".

"No! She keeps on stealing from me every week. I can't afford to lose my income at this time. She needs to pay".

"Hurt the girl, and I'll shoot". Ciel has resorted to use violence. He gestures to the three men to ready their pistols.

"Oh! It's violence you want don't ya? Well, I guess I'll kill you all!". Ciel fires off his pistol. Scraping the skin of the man which made him drop the knife. The girl just whimpered, curling up into a ball.

"I'm afraid you brought a knife to a gun fight. I could just shot you already, but leave and I probably won't. Besides, if you hurt these foreigners, I will take this to the ambassadors who will decide that this is an act of war. You wouldn't want to lose more business from future wars would you?". The damn kid was right. He can't kill foreigners, that be an international incident waiting to happen. Besides, the gun will kill him before he can reach them with the knife. He gives up.

"Fine. You win, but I will return to kill the kid". The man then runs off with his hand over his wound. The girl was still in her ball form, whimpering in fear. Ciel goes up to her and tries to reach out to her. She flinches.

"It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help" Ciel says in a soft tone.

"Y-you mean you won't... k-kill me?"

"No. You must be starving. I'll leave money for that man as payment. It's all right". Ciel reaches his hand out to the girl. She decides to trust this stranger. She begins to smile slightly.

"My name is Ciel, Ciel Phantomhive, what's yours?"

"W-Whinry. Whinry Rockbell".

"Whinry, it's a pleasure to meet you. You have my word as a gentleman that I will help you. And these three other men will help you too" Ciel says in a gentle, polite manner, pointing to the three travelers. He decided that to gain more of her trust, he would have to be a gentleman. He knew that being genuine and gentle would help her calm down. It was a step to gain control of the whole Ishbala situation. Whinry sighed in relief.

"So... Whinry" William asked. "What are you doing stealing bread at night? It's dangerous out here, especially for someone like yourself".

"I know, but I have to. It's the only way my friends and I can survive. We don't have any money, and we can't find a way to make any either".

"There are others" Henri asks.

"Just two".

"Can you take us to them?" Asked Ciel.

"Sure". Whinry then takes them to where she was living. They go through the back alleys of Ishbala. It was dirty and trash was scattered all over the ground, and to no ones surprise, more dead bodies. Whinry was ahead of the strangers who were following her through the dirty alley. She approaches to where she and her friends were staying. A small tent being held up by sticks and a cover filled with holes, it was more of a thin blanket than anything else. There were other thin blankets scattered on the ground of the tent, as well as a chipped bowl with only two or three coins in there. Two boys were also in this small tent. Both were like Whinry, thin, frail, and dirty. Both had long hair and were blonde, but again the dirt covered it up. One boy was sitting around awake. He didn't have a leg to stand on. In it's place was a stick that let him stand, but he would carry a crutch to get up and walk. He only had ragged shorts and nothing to cover his upper body, showing his scrawny body, with his ribcages showing, for the whole world to see. So hungry was he. The other boy was almost as bad. He may have his entire body in tact, but he only had a long, dirty, ragged shirt on him. He was asleep, breathing heavily. Both of the children were barefooted like Whinry. The boy sitting down looked as Whinry came to him.

"Whinry! You're back" the boy said.

"That's right" she responded. "And I brought food". She shows him the bread she got. His golden eyes are directly on the loaf and his mouth begins to water. They haven't eaten for so long, they thought they would starve to death. The boy was happy that they will be able to fill their stomachs for a while. At that moment the strangers following Whinry caught up. The boy looks up at them. He then gets defensive, as he lost trust with anyone months. In the pockets of his shorts, he had stones just in case he had to fight anyone away. He starts throwing the stones at them.

"What are you doing here!" The boy shouted angrily. "Leave us alone!". He continues to throw rocks at them, until Whinry stops him.

"It's okay Ed" Whinry said to the boy, named Ed. "These strangers saved me from death".

"They did?"

"Yeah. I got caught stealing bread. The man almost killed me with a knife until these guys showed up and stopped him".

"She's right" Ciel said. "You're friend would have been killed of it weren't for us". Ed looked down, guilty for trying to hit the people who just saved Whinry's lives.

"I-I'm sorry".

"It's alright, no one got hurt, really" William said. He must not be able to trust anyone.

"I almost got hurt" Henri states. William and Lukas looked at him with a 'really?' look on their faces.

"Child" Ciel says addressing Ed. "Your name is Ed then right?"

"Y-yeah, Edward Elric. W-what about you".

"Ciel, Ciel Phantomhive".

"Hey, what about that boy in the tent?" Lukas asks Ed, pointing the child sleeping.

"H-him, he's A-Alphonse Elric".

"You two are brothers?"

"Y-yeah, me and Al are brothers. Whinry isn't related to us, but she and Al are the only family I have left".

"What happened to the rest of your family?" William asks.

-End of Chapter 7-


	9. Chapter 8: The Kids From Risembool

We must go back to simpler times before this whole mess of a country happened, this being the story Edward will tell to these foreigners. In the simple farming village of Risembool, a mother gave birth to two boys. Of course, he's talking about themselves, Edward and Alphonse Elric. Born in 1829, they were a happy family. Being born in the post-Napoleonic era of Toontopian history, they were not a well off. They were poor farming peasants who didn't make a lot of money, but their father was a scientist. He left Risembool to travel Europe selling his scientific findings to the good people of Europe. He even took jobs at the many universities of Europe, a luxury not found in Toontopia. Any money that their father does get goes to the family, so it became a necessary for the father to be away to earn more money for the family to survive. He does visit on occasion, but only a short while until he gets back on the road to other countries. The last time they heard from their father was when he sent a letter from Austria. That's when it happened. In 1835, their mother died from the plague, and with no contact with their father available, Ed and Al were left orphaned.

Fortunately, there was help, the grandmother of the also recently orphaned Whinry Rockbell, who was coincidental also their friend, took in those two boys as her own. It's a small makeshift family, but it was a happy one. Granny Rockbell was a doctor, and a good one for the small town too. They were a lot wealthier. There was hope for the future. All that changed when kidnappers, presumably employed by the king, because of the success of a commoner, which they do not approve, charged into their home one night, killed granny in front of them, and kidnapped them into a government run child labor mafia.

They were taken to a village near Ishbala where the mafia leader forced them to beg on the streets for her. She would send the children in rags, barefooted, hungry and dirty as the children begged and panhandled on the streets. At the end of the day, they return to the boss to give her their earnings. In return, she shoved them into a dark room, no beds, no blankets, just the hard floor, rags for covers, and crammed in with other kidnapped children. She fed them nothing but scraps from the dinners she had, though usually it would be crusts of bread and chicken bones.

They'd been slaving for her for a year when they had enough and decided to escape. When night fell, they took their chances and through a small window in the room, they successfully escaped. They didn't get far though as they only got to Ishbala when the mafia started looking for them. they had to go into the back alleys to keep themselves hidden from the mafia. They were doing fine for a couple of months. True they have to scavenge the trash and beg people for food on their back door, but they were doing okay. Their makeshift tent in the alley has been their home for about a month. Winter settled last year and they barely survived, but now Alphonse was getting severely sick from spending the cold winter outside on the streets. His condition gets worse everyday since there is no knowing where his next meal will come from. He was slowly dying, and Ed was not going to have that. He had no choice but to begin stealing food from the markets. He had to do it stealthy though because of the two threats to him, the shopkeepers and the mafia. He's been successful for a while for about two years, but one day he got caught by one of the shopkeepers who punished him severely. The shopkeeper chopped his right leg off, leaving him as a crippled, amputated state. He had to tie a stick to his leg and find another stick to use as a crutch. In this state, they can't do anything. They were going to die on the streets. It's been four years since they escaped the mafia and now they were suffering even more. Whinry had to take responsibility and provide for her makeshift family. While they do scavenge the trash, She's been the one stealing food from the market to feed themselves. It's not what they wanted, but it's the reality of their lives. No hope, no future.

The child's story was complete as the foreigners wrap their heads around it. It was beyond shocking. It was like that one Chinese story about the female warrior, so outlandish for the time and place, but it was true. Oh the poor things. The went through a lot and now they are in extreme poverty. They watch Ed and Whinry eat the bread that she stole earlier. They both eat it, just happy to finally have something in their stomachs for a while. The four of them looked down on the children in just disgust and concern.

"Did the government actually use people to kidnap children and force them to work?" William asked.

"I know it's hard to believe" Ciel responds, "but it's true. If a commoner becomes successful, they will do the best they can to silence them and keep everyone miserable. They usually kill off that person and take their possessions. They are also hired just to kidnap children".

"Vhy vould a government kidnap children? I'm mean, guter Gott! This is an extreme misuse of power".

"No one knows why, but they do it anyway. It's the sad truth. There's not much we can do".

"Has anyone tried to contact your father dear child" Lukas asks Ed.

"Don't mention him! That bastard doesn't care about us" Ed shouted angrily. "He didn't even come to mom's funeral. He's not our dad". Did their father actually abandon them, when they desperately needed him. It was his fault that the state declared them orphans. What's worse is that they have no where to go nor anyone to take care of them. Their home must have been destroyed by the government and their granny is dead. They had a bright future ahead of them too. They were not meant to suffer in this cruel world. This shouldn't happen.

"The government doesn't care for us either. They only used us to make money. I can't trust anyone anymore".

"Is that why you're out here by yourselves?"

"Yes. It's our only way to be safe form them. For our sake". The kids continue eating the bread, devouring every bite. If they didn't sink to stealing now, they probably would've starved to death.

"M-m-mom?" A weak voice is heard from the tent. Why, it's the other boy, Al. He's muttering in his sleep, tears forming in his shut eyes. The boy must be dreaming. His arm is reaching out to the sky. Ed and Whinry just watch him. Al wakes up from his sleep just shortly after. He goes into a coughing fit, making Ed worry.

"Al! Relax. I'm here" Ed said comforting him as he coughs, almost violently actually.

"B-brother?"

"Yeah Al?"

"I-I miss m-mom". Al begins to cry weakly. His strength almost gone.

"Me too Al" Ed says sadly, still embracing Al. Al cries on Ed's shoulder. All of this must have traumatized the poor young boy. His childhood taken away in just a matter of years. Al coughs again, his coughing sounds more ragged now.

"Here Al". Edward hands half of the loaf of bread. "Whinry got food for us. You need to eat". Al takes the half loaf and nibbles on it. He so sick, he doesn't have enough strength to take a bite out of it, but he's starving, he must be longing for food. What a poor sight, what has this county come to.

"Well, are we just going to stand and do nothing?" William asks.

"I told you, there is nothing we can do. The government has put up laws and taxes that make having children just to expensive. Even if adults survived the plague. They end up having to give up their child because of how poor they are getting".

"That's the most messed up thing I ever heard".

"The little boy tells the truth though. No one in the government cares for the orphans. They orphan population is growing, and the orphanages don't help, they are in rancid condition and would often take the children out of their and into workhouses and mines. Besides, if anyone becomes an orphan, the king takes notice of these orphans and tries bars them from being apart of families by making ridiculous taxes". The foreigners were too shocked. That was the whole point of orphanages, adoption into a new family.

'That's the same thing as what Moe told us' They thought.

"Wait, technically your an orphan, so how did you avoid the system?"

"No one else besides you and my butler know I'm an orphan". Hmm... smart move. Alphonse hears the foreigners talking and is curious.

"E-Excuse me" Al asked in a weak voice. "W-Who are you? A-and what are y-you talking a-about?". Ciel goes up to Al who whimpers a bit. Ciel places his hand on his shoulder.

"We are just passing by when your friend almost got killed. We saved her and we want to help you".

"R-really" Al asked immediately going into another coughing fit. Ciel comforts the child.

"Yes, we want to help the best we can".

"But how? The mafia is still looking for us, and even if they don't care anymore, this town is too chaotic, we might get ourselves killed".

"He right" Henri responded. "This place is such Hellhole. Vorse than the loose states of Italy". As he said that, shots are heard from a distance, what followed were a series of explosions. Shouts of people were getting louder, and they were pretty sure a bottle broke into the alley. The children just ducked their heads with their arms around their ears. Al and Whinry were whimpering from the sounds. Ed was just silent. It's like it had happened before. The other four were looking around.

"What the bloody hell was that?".

"Child, has this happened before?" Henri asks the three kids, they nodded. More explosions go off, the town was relit with fire. This small town is lively at night doesn't it.

"Wait here. We"ll be back for you". Ciel gets going, with the foreigners coming along too. They make their way to the main street and the whole place was beyond chaos. It was anarchy. A man, presumably the riot leader was raising his fists and commanding the rioters. They were all bashing shop windows and stealing the items. People were attacking each other like before, but more violently. In a situation like this, where the hell is the military?... oh yeah, no government. Ciel and the men go in to examine the situation

"The damn shopkeepers are keeping all the food to themselves. We are the starved citizens longing for food. Let us take what they sell and reap the rewards of anarchy! The government doesn't care! Vox Populi! Vox Populi!". Such advocation of violence. This is not a voice of the people, it's a voice for destruction of society.

"All right" Ciel whispered. "All we got to do is take him out and get everyone calmed and under control".

"Vell, how are ve going to do that?"

"Remember, I'm an earl. And thanks to the king's governance laws, I can exert my will and authority over another county. I just need you to shoot him and anyone else that shows resistance". He's using his power to take complete control of the situation. Clever boy.

"Won't killing him just escalate things?" Asked William.

"They'll be too afraid of any governance, or anyone with a gun really, come on and aim for him". With nobody looking the three men draw the flintlock pistols at the man and with steady aim, they pull the trigger.

BANG*

BANG*

BANG*

With three shots of the pistols, the man come down. Blood spills out everywhere. The citizens of Ishbala want to know what happened to their leader. They look around to find a young boy in fine clothes surrounded by three tall men with pistols that are still smoking, indicating a fresh shot. Ciel clears his throat.

"What the devil is going on? Is this what you all think the people should do? Just riot, destroying livelihoods and the basic element of a civil society. I will not allow this!" Ciel shouted angrily.

"And who the hell do you think you are. We won't take orders from a child".

"I am the Earl of Phantomhive and I order you to get back to your homes. You will all rebuild this town tomorrow morning. This destruction won't go unnoticed. I will see to it that the government will do something about it. You all should do as I say, or we will deal with anyone who doesn't comply". He points to the three men with the pistols, ready to shoot.

"Now off! Off I say!". The people can't do anything. They don't have pistols or rifles to fight off this new authority, along with the fact that their leader is dead. With no choice, they are forced to go back to their homes, or what was left of them. The fires still burning bright in the night of the chaotic town. Sebastian returns to his master.

"Young lord. The carriage wheel is still chipped and I don't think I will be able to fix until tomorrow morning".

"Fine. Looks like we will have to rent a room in an inn for tonight".

"By the way Master, there was a riot happening a couple of minutes ago. I assume you were the one that stopped it?"

"You're right. I had to exert my authority".

"Wise choice master, but are you alright?"

"I'm fine". Suddenly, something wet begins to fall from the sky, extinguishing the fires that started. The winter rain has just begun to fall.

"Master, there is an inn close by to the carriage, I shall see to the arrangements for your stay, as well as our guests".

"What about those street children, we can't leave them out here, they'll catch a cold and die".

"He's right Sebastian. Find those children and bring them to the inn. I'll pay for their stay".

"Yes my lord". Sebastian goes off to find those children. With that, the four start heading to the inn for tonight. Their views on the modern world deteriorating, their views on monarchs and government along with it. If the royal government is not doing their job to protect the citizens, then why bother with a monarchy. Tyrants of the throne should be abolished, but the people had nothing to fight with. They are but slaves to the system. There needs to be change for this country to survive the new world. Their neighbors are stronger and fairer than them and this will sure be the advantage these nations are waiting for to invade. That's what they thought. And they were not the only ones. There are others who think that. These people are the revolutionaries destined to bring the change to their society, and they have witnessed what these foreigners thought of their country.

-End of Chapter 8-


	10. Chapter 9: The Brotherhood of Freedom

The rain began to pour down a little more than earlier. The inn they were staying in was okay. A little decrepit, but it was only for one night. Sebastian found the three children and after explaining everything that happened, as well as telling them that he is the butler of Ciel, the children followed Sebastian to the inn providing them for shelter for the night. Ciel order Sebastian to grab some food for them from the carriage before he can fix it up. Ciel had his own bedroom while the children shared one and the foreigners shared the other. The children were relived and happy to actually be under a dry roof over their heads and more food in their bellies tonight. The entire group went to sleep for tonight, the children feeling safe while the adults were contemplating on ,out of all things, why this had to happen. While Lukas just fell to sleep, Henri was writing on a small notebook that he started to write on ever since Spring-felt.

"Henri. What are you writing?" William asks.

"This? This is kind of a memo for myself, something I could use for my books".

"Oh that's right, you're a writer. You think your story would get noticed by the higher ups?"

"Vell, I vant it to be, I want anyone to see it to show the world the atrocities going on in this nation. This can't go on that I know, children are suffering, people are dying, hunger, poverty, and crime are rampant. And it's because of this damned king. Someone ought to do something about this, this country should no longer suffer from this post-Napoleonic feeling".

"And That is what we plan to do". A figure appears on the window sill. The gentleman appears just out of nowhere and he is now in their room. The man had red and white hair on opposite sides of his head, a weird hair combination for this century. His left eye has a burn scar which goes from his hair line down to his cheek. His eyes were two distinctive colors, one was a turquoise color and the other was a brownish dark gray color. He can be described as a handsome, yet sad man to his peers. He is wearing the uniform of a student, but modified to give it a not so ritzy look. He has two badges on them which the foreigners have seen before. A shield with two feathers in opposite directions of each other and the other were two letters U and A, a symbol they saw a couple of days earlier on the road.

"Vait a minute. Who are you, and vhat are you doing here?"

"I am with the revolutionary faction. My name is Shoto Todoroki".

"Revolutionary faction?"

"Yes. Like you said, this country should no longer suffer because of this tyrants rule. King Richard has been just that and the air for Revolution is at it's finest. There is no food, the orphan population is increasing, as well as the impoverish population. The prisons are overcrowded, and our stronger neighbors are advancing, both technologically and socially. The poor keeps getting poorer while the rich controls all the wealth. This nation will go into total anarchy, unless we do something about it. We are the change, we are the Brotherhood of Freedom".

"You're going to fight the system?"

"That is the plan. Us educated fellows know what these bastards in power are actually doing, and we had to go along with this facade. We know how the commoner are treated and how they treat the poor as criminals is not acceptable. I have witnessed what happened tonight and I figured that you are the ones that will help bring the change that we have been waiting for".

"Vait a minute, just because ve vere involved vith a nobleman's plan for stabilizing a town, makes us vorthy of bringing revolution?"

"This type of anarchy has gone on far too long and we now well that this place was just about ready to collapse. With you guys righting a wrong, change will happen". What is he talking about? They had nothing to do with this whole mess, besides shooting a man but that was because they were told to.

"Pardon, but my acquaintance said that we were involved with a nobleman's plan".

"We are well aware of Ciel's work in philanthropy. He's apart of the nobility that give a damn about this dying country".

"What about..."

"They're basically absentee landlords who don't give a crap about the current situation. Once the king is disposed, they will be left with nothing. Only the well educated man will use the power for good. Now tell me, are you all familiar with Magna Carta?".

"You're talking to an Englishman, everyone knows Magna Carta".

"I too am familiar with Magna Carta, and the American Constitution, and the French Declaration of the Rights of Men. We believe that a republic is best for our nation. We will model the new government on these great documents. We educated folks are sick of the abuse of poor that we admit, we are apart of. We want to make things right".

"Vhat do you mean, apart of it?" Asked Henri. Shouto begins to tell these two who he is and what this organization is. He was born into a prestigious family of military officers, the Todorokis were apart of the war council, whom had battles with Switzerland, The German Confederation, and the Netherlands in the 1830s, though most of the battles were major defeats. Shouto was suppose to follow in his father's footsteps, so he was sent to the UA Military Academy to study the art of war. The students of the UA Academy were taught by commanders from the 1805 invasion of Toontopia, where their philosophies have changed from the invasion. It didn't help that their king is a tyrant and had stupid plans for constant wars. They taught their students the art of war, but also philosophy on democracy and freedom. The staff encourages free thinking and the person encouraging this free thinking was one of the greatest general of the war, General Yagi Toshinori, The all mighty General. He personally taught the students the philosophy of the people and the importance of representing people.

They started to believe the things they taught, which caught the attention of the king. He hated this and worried for his power being overthrown. So he did what any absolute monarch would do in his situation. He shut down any academies that taught this free thinking and thus high education was no more, not even for the wealthy elite. The former students of UA were not silence, as they would always meet up at local taverns and bars to discuss matters of democracy and freedom. Eventually, students of those shut down academies joined their enlightened conversations, including the former students of the Rosa Survey Academy and they exchanged intelligent views on governance and and the people's right to life, liberty, and property. Soon they begin to form a secret organization to overthrow the current kingship and replace it with a system of government that represents the people. They formed a pact in a small bar in the town of Rosa and from there, the Brotherhood of Freedom was born. They would go out and preach ideas of the enlightenment and spread discontent of the current regime to bring in the revolution that would free them. For a while, it was successful, many citizens also began to question the authority of King Richard and started to do two things, either move out of the country, which was impossible for them due to the strict border policies, or to protest for a better life. They would protest the local government to change their policies to bring prosperity to them and to raise their standard of living, but the government not only refused, but soldiers would fire upon them to silence them. Eventually they found out about this organization and began to persecute them for treasonous actions, and many were placed in prisons or executed. They live on however and in the shadows, they keep pushing the ideas of liberalism and democracy.they are doing the best they can to persevere free thinking.

"This reminds me of the Society of the Rights of Man" William started, remembering the French rebellion in June of 1832 and the society's role before it's dissolution earlier this year.

"So you too are of the nobility?" Henri asked.

"We were apart of this feudalistic hierarchy and are ashamed of our father's sins. We want to helps those in poverty, which is two-thirds of our nation's population, and of it means the overthrow of the monarchy, then so be it".

"If you're apart of the elite, why didn't you do something then? You have power".

"Even if we are wealthy, King Richard doesn't listen to us, he does what he wants and no one can challenge him. If there is anything we can do is use secretive methods to enlighten the citizens to fight authority". After their conversation. A sound is heard in the other room.

"Vhat vas that?"

"I don't know but it came from the other room, where the children are staying. We should check out what the problem is".

"I'll come with you". William and Henri, along with Shouto, went to the other room, hoping those children are okay. Oh, how the situation for them was looking grim when they barged in.

"NO! I won't let you take us back!"

"Oh! But you have no choice. I'm taking you back, and I will definitely punish you for trying to escape". Ed shouted to this woman, while he was protecting his brother and friend. They were frightened of this woman, and Alphonse was in his brother's arms, sobbing weakly. The woman herself was terrifying. First off she is a blue cat, a human like creature is always weird, but her angry face was the definition of horror, as she tries to take the children. It didn't help calm the situation that she was also loaded with a flintlock pistol herself.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" William asked before entering the room. He, along with Henri and Shouto enter the room before the woman can grab the kids.

"Who in hell are you?"

"Me? I am nothing but a humble servant to his gracious majesty King Richard".

"Oh" Shouto said angrily. "You are a scumbag of the government then?".

"You could say that, but I like to think myself as the savior of orphans. For I, Nicole Watterson, am the officially appointed caretaker of any orphans in the area. I save them from death and dispair".

"You're enslaving us to earn money for you! Savior my...". Nicole goes up to Ed and slaps him in the face, causing Al and Whinry to flinch. She then took Ed by the hand aggressively.

"Don't you dare talk back to me! I am the law and you know it. I will punish you severely for that. I'm taking you back to work, and you can't stop me!" Nicole shouted in anger against resistance. She grabbed Ed by the arm thinking that the other boy and girl wouldn't let go, but Al and Whinry did, embracing each other in fear. She's taking Ed away from them. Not if anyone else can say something. Shouto brings out a pistol, a pepper-box revolver, and points it at Nicole.

"Drop the child, or I'll shoot!" Shouto shouted. Nicole just laughed.

"Well, then I'll shoot you first!"

BANG*

The bullet flew across the room to Shouto, but fortunately he had good reflexes and the bullet missed. Shouto begins to fire his pistol. He did this two times non stop and one bullet was able to scrape Nicole's arm when she let go of Ed's arm. Ed goes back to Whinry and Al. Nicole was holding her bleeding arm as she tries to reload her flintlock. Shouto gets closer to her, pistol in hand.

"Leave now, or I'll take you out".

"Go on and do it! You can't stop the king from getting his way he has been chosen by God to rule. GOD! Stop him and you are denouncing the word of God. I am the bearer of his word, just try to stop us. TRY TO STOP US!"

BANG*

The bullet enters Nicole's head. Blood bushes from her head as she lies down in agony, slowly dying. They looked at her as she begins to slowly leave this earth, in shock of this whole scene. She dies in just a matter of minutes. Henri goes up to those children and tries to comfort them. They must be so frightened from all this. Can't they get a break? This is something no child should have to go through. Sebastian overheard everything outside while he was fixing the carriage and promptly went upstairs to check.

"Is everything alright? What's going on?" He asked. He sees Shouto with the others and the dead body and gets a picture of what happened. Eventually William explained everything to Sebastian.

"Oh. My apologies for not being here when I was needed. This whole situation could have easily been avoided".

"It's not your fault" Shouto said. "The king has always been after any resistance to his authority and power. It was bound to happen when people try to escape the system".

"It's really that harsh isn't it?" William asked.

"I'm afraid so. There are so many who are dying, and rapidly. Toontopia is on the verge of collapse. We need to change the government so that so many lives are not lost to this regime. That is why the Brotherhood of Freedom is formed. To change this kingdom".

"It's a noble cause you are fighting for" Sebastian replied. "The government should be embracing change to help citizens here and bring stability".

"But he Vang's to do avay vith the aristocracy" Henri said. "Aren't you vorried for your master".

"Don't tell Master I said this, bit he doesn't care about his position. Just that the children are happier. So that they don't have to suffer what he's been through". He looks through the window, the rainy night sky still present. "It really is late gentlemen, and the carriage isn't quite finished yet. You should all get to bed".

"Yes. You should" Shouto said. "But I will be leaving".

"Will we see you again?"

"I don't know. When the time is right for Revolution, I will be with my friends on the barricade. Fighting for freedom. Our paths will cross no doubt, but I think it would be too soon". With that, Shouto leaves them in the inn and disappears in the rainy night sky. The children have cried themselves to sleep. At least they are at peace for now.

"You two should get to bed then".

"Someone needs to be with these kids. So no one would take them".

"I suppose you're right. Henri, since you were the one that comforted them. You stay with them".

"Ja, understood". Sebastian and William leave while Henri carries each of the children one by one to the bed they were sleeping in. He gets on another bed, watching them and he himself fell asleep. Thinking on the whole scene he witnessed and his loyalty to the Prussian monarch

'Surly His majesty Fredrick IV wouldn't wrong his citizens, would he?' He thought to himself going into a deep slumber.

-End of Chapter 9-


End file.
